


Where Is Home?

by StellaWella97



Category: Hermitcraft RPF
Genre: Gen, Hermitcraft - Freeform, Keralis - Freeform, etho - Freeform, hermitcraft season 7, welsknight - Freeform, xisumavoid - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 09:47:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29044110
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StellaWella97/pseuds/StellaWella97
Summary: Keralis finds himself lost in the Nether with limited supplies and no way out. How will this end for him?
Relationships: Arek Lisowski | Keralis & Xisumavoid
Comments: 10
Kudos: 43





	Where Is Home?

_Why, oh, why did I tell them that I’d be fine on my own here?_

Keralis hesitantly peeked over the edge of the platform he was standing on and felt his heart sink yet again as he gazed at the massive pool of lava below. 

Once their game of Nether Bingo had ended, the Hermits had all been eager to head back to their bases to test out the new materials they’d collected. Keralis meanwhile, having only seen a small portion of the new biomes, wanted to continue exploring to see everything there was to offer. 

Both Etho and Welsknight had offered to stay behind with Keralis. But instead of admitting the truth, Keralis had put on his usual bright smile onto his face and bravely said “I’ll be fine!”. If the other two didn’t seem to believe him, Keralis wouldn’t be surprised as he hardly believed his own words. Maybe if he’d asked them to stick around, he wouldn’t be in the situation he was in now but there was no point in regretting his past choices. 

Keralis sighed as he sat down on the basalt floor and checked his remaining inventory. Most of his tools had lost their durability during his journey around the Nether. Even his precious Elytra which had been his only way out, was tattered and in pieces now. The only things he had left were some golden carrots, some Blackstone and a golden hoe he’d taken from an abandoned chest in a Bastion remnant. 

There weren’t even any platforms nearby that Keralis could try getting to. He just hoped that no Ghasts would come around because if any did, he was toast.

He hugged his knees to his chest and stared at the ashen light gray basalt, nudging the ash around with the toes of his right boot. Maybe someone would notice he wasn’t at his base or at Lookie Lookie At My Bookie and come to get him soon? But… 

“Would anyone even realize that I’m not there?” Keralis whispered sadly under his breath. He shook his head gently to try and remove the negative thoughts. This was why he’d picked to build his base as close to the other Hermits as possible, and why he always tried to keep himself busy. When he was alone and idle, the bad thoughts began creeping into his mind and he hated it. 

His mind wandered to memories of the game of Nether Bingo earlier and how much fun he’d had with Etho and Wels. Still, Keralis felt he hadn’t been of much help to them. The entire time, he’d needed the other two to explain everything about the new biomes to him. “I should’ve done my research…What use is my pretty face if I can't even be useful to the others?” Keralis mumbled before burying his face in his arms. 

_Stop overthinking. Just calm down, Keralis..._

It might have just been a couple hours or it could have been a few days later since he’d gotten stuck here, Keralis wasn’t entirely sure but he felt his eyelids growing heavier as fatigue slowly overtook his body. He glanced around the platform, wondering if it would be fine to take just a short nap. What harm could it be? There hadn’t been any Ghasts or Piglins since he’d landed there. 

Keralis moved to lay on his side down on the cold basalt, cushioning his head with his left arm. It didn’t take him long to drift off to sleep, being the light sleeper that he was. 

In that moment, Keralis found himself standing in front of Lookie Lookie At My Bookie. He had never seen the shopping district so busy - most of the Hermits were milling about, perusing the various stores nearby or chatting with one another. Keralis spotted Doc using the crafting bench outside and called out excitedly “Sweet Face! I haven’t seen you in ages - you wanna buy a book?” 

Instead of replying like he’d expected, Doc finished crafting a new Netherite pickaxe and began walking in the direction of the Nether Portal in the centre of the shopping district as if he’d not heard Keralis. Confused, Keralis shouted “Doc! Yoo hoo, can you hear me?” as he followed him. 

Still completely oblivious to any of Keralis’s attempts to attract his attention, Doc climbed up the ladder and passed through the Nether Portal above. Keralis paused at the foot of the ladder and looked around his surroundings, unsure what he should do now. Why could Doc not hear him?

Just then, Keralis heard the familiar ‘Pew Pew Pew’ sounds of rockets nearby and looked up at the sky. Xisuma was flying in his direction. If anyone knew what to do in a situation like this, it would be the reliable Xisuma! Keralis waved his arms in the air wildly while calling out to Xisuma, hoping he would notice him.

As with Doc, Xisuma didn’t seem to be able to see or hear Keralis at all. He landed deftly on the platform above and disappeared through the Nether Portal just as Doc had. Panicking now, Keralis quickly clambered up the ladder and jumped through the portal after him. As he chased down Xisuma who appeared to be running faster and faster, the floor suddenly opened up underneath his feet and the unsuspecting Keralis fell through. A scream of terror escaped his lips as he looked down at the pit full of Hoglins all rearing their heads and snorting angrily beneath him. 

But just as he was about to land in the centre of the pit, Keralis jerked awake. 

Keralis sat up quickly and looked around him anxiously, his heart beating rapidly. He was in a bed now, in an unfamiliar room. Along the walls, he could see various bee-related memorabilia as well as framed pictures of bees. Was he in…?

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” a chirpy British voice greeted him before he could finish his thought, accompanied by the delicious smell of freshly cooked bacon and eggs. Xisuma was standing at the doorway of the room with a tray in his hands, a warm smile on his face. He had on a casual green robe over his bee costume, the mask he normally wore forgotten today. It had been a while since Keralis had seen Xisuma’s real face. 

Xisuma perched himself on the edge of the bed and placed the breakfast tray on Keralis’s lap. “Shashwammy, how did I…? I-I was stuck in the Nether and...now I’m here,” Keralis stammered, waving a hand to indicate the room he was in. He briefly looked down at the tray laid with a plate of bacon and eggs alongside a mug of coffee before turning back to Xisuma questioningly. 

“Well, I’d gone over to Lookie Lookie At My Bookie for a Mending book and noticed that they were all sold out so I figured why not drop by for a visit to my good friend, Keralis?,” Xisuma explained. His warm smile turned into a concerned frown as he continued “Of course, you weren’t there. I asked around but no one had seen you for days. I finally heard from Etho that the last time he saw you was in the Nether, it hit me then that you must still be there.” 

Keralis picked up the mug of coffee with both hands and took a tentative sip to give himself time to process what he had just heard. He felt guilty. He knew just how busy Xisuma always was, being the appointed leader of the Hermits. “I...I’m sorry, Shashwammy. I didn’t mean to…,” Keralis started speaking but his words felt like they had become lodged in his throat, making it hard to breathe. 

Xisuma edged closer on the bed and put both his hands on Keralis's shoulders. Keralis looked up in surprise but turned away again quickly, avoiding Xisuma’s intent gaze. “There’s no need to apologise. I’m just glad you’re okay,” Xisuma began, giving Keralis’s shoulders a gentle but reassuring squeeze. “Also, I want you to know that you never have to be afraid of asking any one of the Hernits for a little extra help. We all love you dearly and we just want you to be safe. You could never be a burden, alright?” 

Xisuma pulled Keralis into a tight hug and whispered “You’re the Beeralis to my Beesuma and I’ll always be there for you, don’t you ever forget that.” Keralis buried his face into Xisuma’s shoulder, rubbing his tears away on the green robe before Xisuma could notice he was crying. He’d been overthinking way too much, that even his dreams had become infested with the negative thoughts. This was his home and the Hermits were like his brothers and sisters. Why had he been worrying about all this time? 

Pulling away from the hug, Xisuma smiled at Keralis warmly and said firmly “Now, you’re going to finish your breakfast and get some rest. There’ll be no building for you for the next day or two till I deem you fit for work again.” After a brief pause, Xisuma added with a sheepish grin “Besides I could use the company. I think I’m going a bit mad from just being around bees all day. Just earlier this week, I accidentally went all Bzzt Bzzt when I was talking to Scar!” 

Keralis grinned, responding with a “Bzzt Bzzt Bzzzz!” before tucking into his scrumptious breakfast.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed reading this fic! Keralis is probably my favourite Hermit next to Scar & I LOVE his interactions with Xisuma, especially when they're both dressed up as bees. 
> 
> P.S: I think the final "Bzzt Bzzt Bzzzz!" Keralis says means "Aye Aye, Captain!" but who knows with Keralis! ;D


End file.
